Earlier today, the watchdog group Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) asked the Office of Congressional Ethics to investigate Staten Island Congressman Michael Grimm in the face of fundraising allegations recently raised by the New York Times. The Times‘ sources allege, among other things, that Mr. Grimm accepted envelopes full of cash and contributions from foreign donors, charges Mr. Grimm sharply denies.

“Campaign fundraising can sometimes be shady, but Rep. Grimm has sunk to a new low. A former FBI agent meeting in the shadow of the Manhattan FBI office to take an illegal campaign contribution in an unmarked envelope? Sounds like something out of a Grisham novel,” CREW’s Executive Director, Melanie Sloan, said in a statement.

“In addition to the illegal campaign contributions, it also appears Rep. Grimm may have promised to use the powers of Congress to assist a fundraiser in procuring a green card. In other words, Rep. Grimm may have engaged in bribery. These are serious allegations that demand an immediate investigation.”

This isn’t the first time CREW has placed Mr. Grimm in their crosshairs. Last year, they named him among the “most corrupt” members of Congress based on some not-s0-scandalous charges, including an improper use of an FBI insignia in a campaign commercial and a promotional video he recorded for a security company.

“This is just another underhanded and pathetic attempt by George Soros’ liberal hack shop to make a baseless attack and attempted character assassination of a Republican official,” he said at the time. His campaign likely feels similarly with the latest charge, although the allegations are far more serious.

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